A heartbroken pet owner said her dog died after a £2 toy she bought from B&M in her stomach.

Lynn Barton says she watched as her six year old labrador Maddie slipped away after a major operation to remove plastic and stuffing from her bowels - caused by a cheap dog toy purchased as a as a Christmas present.

The 54 year-old sales manager, who also owns Maddie’s mum Tia, had decided to treat her four dogs to some bargain Christmas themed toys costing £1.99, but months later became worried when one went missing and Maddie started showing signs of illness.

But, despite believing it may have just been an upset stomach, the family were shocked when tests at the vet showed there was a huge obstruction in Maddie’s intestine.

It meant the dog needed major surgery.

She told the Liverpool Echo: “We noticed something was wrong because she wasn’t eating, and on a walk with my daughter she started vomiting bits of plastic, and then she threw up again.

“We took her to the vets and got her X-rayed and there was a huge blockage, she was really out of sorts and was clearly in pain so they had to operate.”

Maddie and Lynn's daughter Rebecca

Maddie and Lynn's grandson Oscar

Despite making it through the operation, Maddie’s owners had to make the heartbreaking decision to put their dog to sleep as complications from the surgery had left her stomach leaking digestive fluid - putting her in a lot of pain and discomfort.

Lynn added: “We saw her after the surgery and she was really groggy but she could at least stand up. The vet told us she wasn’t out of the woods and that the 72 hours following the operation would be critical.

“Sadly, she hadn’t improved the next day but she was gaining weight which meant that there was fluid leaking from her stomach. They said the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep so we went to the vets and she passed away with all of us around her.”

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Vets at Rutland House, near Lynn’s home in St Helens , showed the family the contents of what had been removed from Maddie’s bowels - and they were shocked when they discovered it was from the Christmas toy.

Lynn said: “The vet had kept the contents in a bag, and it was the toy. It used to make a crinkly noise, and what had actually blocked her stomach was the plastic stuffing that made the noise.

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She added: “I feel guilty for even buying the toy. I think if I could turn back time and not buy it then this would never have happened.

“You can’t supervise dogs all the time, even though the toys tell you to supervise them. I’m not giving them any toys any more and I’d say to other dog owners that they should be careful of these toys.